Jessica Kantrowitz has a Substack. Her recent “free-write Friday” prompt was “The color green + healing. You can interpret the prompt however you like.”
“(Adjust to your own preferences.) Sit with a notebook or device and set a timer for 20 or 30 mins. Write whatever comes to mind, either as random thoughts (journaling style), a poem, or a short story. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, just put words on the page.”
Okay, I will free associate here.
Growing up with the name Green was an interesting experience. On the phone, I would say my name as Roger Green: “Roger, R-O-G-E-R; green, like the color.” About 10% of the time, people would ask, “Is that with an E at the end?” and I would say No. I thought “Green, like the color,” was a clarifying statement. Yet, it seemed to confuse people about 10% of the time.
Growing up, I lived in a green house with asbestos siding. The worst thing about it, besides the possible carcinogenic impact, was that if you happened to rub against it, it really hurt. You could get a nasty little abrasion on your arm.
Neighbors
Down our little one-block, 16-address street, Gaines Street in Binghamton, NY, there was a family named Greene with an E at the end. Their house was white, but it had green trim. We would get their mail a fair amount, and they got ours; fortunately, we are very friendly with each other. The kid over there, Danny, would sometimes come over and play in our backyard. We had a very small backyard; there wasn’t much greenery.
When I wanted greenery, I usually went to Valley Street Park, a few blocks away, where a ball field was located. I’d also go to Ansco Ball Field. The easiest way to get to Ansco from my grandmother’s house was to cut through Spring Forest Cemetery, which had great greenery among the headstones.
I most appreciate cities when they have greenery. I like Recreation Park in Binghamton, Central Park in New York City, Washington Park in Albany, Central Park in Schenectady, and various other parks I’ve been to. Parks and greenery make a place feel civilized, something that tames the urban concrete jungle. I need greenery.
Every time I saw stories about Baltimore in the news, I noted the lack of trees, at least in the urban areas. This made the streets feel not only barren but hot.
I like trees. When I was a kid, there was a chestnut tree on Spruce St, about halfway between my grandmother’s house and ours. I would collect the chestnuts, keep them for several months, and then throw them away in the spring. I liked to collect them, appreciating the smooth feel of the chestnut. It was comforting.
TV
As a kid, I used to watch Captain Kangaroo. There was a character named Mr. Green Jeans. An inordinate number of people used to refer to me as Mr. Green Jeans; I think it bugged me when I was much younger, but I became rather insulated from it over time. Hugh “Lumpy” Brannan played the character. I always look for green characters on TV; Green Hornet, which I watched a bit, featured Van Johnson as the title character and Bruce Lee as Kato. Later, of course, there was Kermit the Frog.
When I was 25, I worked as a bank teller for about a month. I didn’t love the job, but I learned to keep the greenbacks in the right order. They are always facing up and in the same direction. I implemented this process at the comic book store where I used to work, FantaCo.
The other day, I was at the grocery store. This guy approached me and said, “Hey, would you like to help me buy this piece of food?” It looked like sushi or something, and it cost $7.99, and I said sure. I bought it, and the guy waited at the exit. I handed the food off to him. It was no big deal. When you’ve had periods of not having the money, you can become very sensitive to making it available to others if you can afford it.
The weird thing about that particular day is that, as I walked out of the Price Chopper parking lot, I saw lying on the ground a $5.00 bill and three $1.00 bills—$8, exactly what I had spent on this guy’s sushi. So, it turned out to be not only a kind act but one that cost me absolutely no money.
I think that’s enough of this; it’s an interesting exercise.